An elegant Sydney City wedding

On the high school bus in 1999. I always had a crush on Mike but [because I was] younger than him, I knew I didn’t have a chance, so I focused on ways to become better mates with him and build up a friendship. One of those ingenious ways was pretending I was interested in guitar and went to him for lessons. Over the years we became great friends but eventually lost touch when I moved to Sydney.

I knew it was love when...

Mike found me on Facebook and sent me a message, we then wrote to each other every day. I knew it was love when I met up with him again (for the first time in 8 years) in Brisbane. We went out to lunch and he took me on my first motorbike ride. It might have taken us a long time to finally get together from when we met, but as Mike says, it’s all about the long game!

The proposal...

Mike had just finished his PhD and to celebrate we went to Borocay Island in the Phillipines. On the way to the airport, Mike was very protective of the carry on bag but I didn’t click to anything. We were up on the observation deck taking photos when suddenly he was kneeling down with a ring! As Mike and I were dating long distance while he was finishing his PhD in Brisbane, we spent a lot of time in airports going backwards and forwards, so it was very fitting [that] he proposed there! I was crying and everyone on the deck was cheering.

Wedding style...

We wanted a classic wedding, and fell in love with the Queen Victoria Building Tea Room, which we chose for our venue. With its beautiful elegance and chandeliers, a lot of our choices for the wedding became about working with that space. The colour palette was lilac, gold and cream.

Wedding Photographer...

Melissa from Pelizzari Photography shot my sister’s wedding in Brisbane and I really loved her on the day. I was also following her on Facebook and her website and Mike and I really loved her work, and she was able to come to Sydney to shoot our day for us.

I really love Melissa’s artistry, with an aesthetic that is synonymous with the work you would see in fashion magazines but she still manages to capture the candidness of intimate moments. She was really great on the day, you could be yourself and everyone said how relaxed they felt around her. I loved her creativeness (with things like my shots of my shoes, my ring and bouquet) and the beautiful moments she caught in the church.

Mike and I had four bridesmaids and four groomsmen and two junior bridesmaids. The parties were made up of our brothers and sisters and closest friends, and the junior bridesmaids were my youngest sister and Mike’s niece.

The dress...

I absolutely loved my gown, it really was a dream. It was designed by Lazaro and I found it in with my Mum in Eternal Bridal in the Strand Arcade, Sydney. It was a trumpet bridal gown with an ivory beaded and embroided bodice with a champagne layered tulle skirt with a sweep train. I loved all the different components of the dress and its beautiful detail. It really was incredible to wear!

The shoes...

My shoes were gold Jimmy Choo shoes and Mike surprised me on the day with the matching clutch!

Bridesmaid dresses...

My bridesmaids wore lilac dresses from Review, and the junior bridesmaids wore dresses designed and made for them by TS Elegant Creations. We based the younger girls outfits on the bridesmaids but with a peplum, and in ivory and lace to match my dress.

Groomsmen...

The groomsmen were very suave in navy suits from MJ Bale.

Wedding decor...

Our table centrepieces were large fluted vase arrangements made up of columbian roses, agapanthus and hydrangeas in lilac, cream and white by Jodie McGregor Flowers. The table numbers were in gold frames with a different Shakespearean quote about love for each table. The bridal table had a beautiful long and low floral arrangement of lavender, bouvardia, lisianthus, spider chrysanthemums, columbian roses, and some lush soft greenery, and glasshouse candles of my favourite scent, Kyoto. Our favourite decoration however was the floral seating chart. Mike’s Dad made and painted a large wooden frame for us that would allow Jodie McGregor’s team to fill the sides of the frame with lilac, cream, and pink blooms. It was really beautiful.

Sweet Connoisseur made the three-tiered cake. Mike picked the cake’s three tiers of light, dark and white Belgian chocolate with the six flavours of chocolate mud cake, red velvet, dutch apple, white chocolate and passion fruit and white chocolate and raspberry.

Bombonniere...

The bonbonniere was actually something quite close to my heart. My grandmother passed away a few years ago, and to make it feel like she was still a part of the day, our bonbonniere was her signature russian caramel. Two wonderful friends helped us make it, and we put them in jars with the label “Nanna Girlie’s Russian Caramel.” All my family said it tasted just like hers!

Wedding Songs...

During the evening, Cat Wood played a section of songs on the grand piano which was really lovely. Our first dance was to U2’s version of ‘Unchained Melody” which was really special. The rest of the music was a combination of 80s, 90s hits, with a splash of Motown and I managed to sneak in a few girly pop ones too!

Memorable moments...

The day was filled with many memorable moments. Mike’s cousin, a missionary from Africa co-celebrated the mass, and it was really special to have him up there with us during the ceremony. Watching Mike’s gorgeous nieces and my little sister tear up the dance floor, and at the end of the night while we were saying our goodbyes, Mike got everyone to sing me happy birthday (it was my 30th a few days after the wedding when we would be on our honeymoon).